The Business of Being Me
by Fantaji
Summary: What happens when Lory forces Kyoko to become a character that is the exact replica of herself? The only catch is, she has to believe in love! And why does she have to name the character Kyoko! How will Ren react?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys! So this is my second fanfic and I am super excited! Hope you guys love it!**_

Lory was frustrated as he read the documents before him. Between Yashiro, Sebastian (as Kyoko happily called him), and his own personal security system, they had yet to find any sign of progression between his two favorite people. They were frustrating beyond belief. He paused as he read one section, written by Yashiro. He smiled as the young manager described Kyoko as amazing and scary in her commitment to her characters, going so far as to say that he wondered if she were really human. Lory chuckled at this sentiment, then froze. An idea began forming in his mind as he chuckled evilly.

Maria's hand froze, poised to knock on the door to bid her grandfather goodnight. Her footie pajamas did little to repress the shiver she felt travel up her spine. When her grandfather laughed like that, she pitied the victim on the other end of his schemes. She gingerly brought her hand away from the door, and tiptoed back to her room. It might be better to just go to bed on her own tonight…

::::::::::

Kyoko fidgeted nervously in front of the President's door. After revealing her secret feelings for Ren to her boss just a few months prior, she was always nervous when he called her to his office. She felt oddly exposed and feared that he would somehow make her feelings known to Ren, causing Ren to reject her from his life.

Kyoko took a deep breath, calming her nerves, and opened the door. Her eyes became wide, her mouth hanging open.

Before her was an elaborate setup of the American holiday, Thanksgiving. A full table, filled with a variety of foods, was placed where Lory's desk would have normally been. But the source of Kyoko's shock was the turkey in the middle of the table. The very large, and rather realistic turkey was none other than President Lory Takarada.

"Ah, Mogami-san, please come in and take a seat." The turkey's head spoke to her, indicating a seat with a large feathered wing.

"Pfft…."

Lory looked in astonishment at Kyoko as she pressed her fingers to her mouth in a desperate attempt to refrain from laughing. Her face grew redder by the second as they just stared at each other, turkey to tomato. Her level of hilarity quickly reached its breaking point.

"BWAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA….! KAMI-SAMA! HAHAHAHA…. Ow ow ow!"Kyoko clutched her side as she rolled around on the floor, her stress and nervousness gone in a heartbeat. Lory looked offended as she took a seat on the tree stump he had pointed to earlier, tears pouring down her face. She held her breath for a few seconds to control her erratic breathing. She slowly let the breath out and cleared her throat. She glanced at Lory and then decided she couldn't look him in the eye and have a serious conversation at the same time. She kept her head lowered as she addressed him.

"Gomen Kaichou." She murmured in between her breathing exercises. Lory looked offended for another brief moment before sighing and letting it pass.

"Mogami-san, I called you in here to give you a LoveME assignment. I haven't given you much recently and feel as though I need to make up for it." Kyoko's eyes widened in fear as her head shot up to look at him.

"Um… Hai." She answered nervously. She had a feeling that he was wording this in such a way so to punish her for her outburst over his wardrobe.

"I have a new character I wish you to portray, not unlike how you did with Setsu. You are to remain this character until the clock strikes midnight on your 18th birthday, in exactly 1 month." Kyoko blanched. What kind of character was this that she would have to give up the next month of her life?

"I have a folder here, detailing the character, her traits, background, etc." Lory smirked in glee as she read the folder. It actually hadn't been a list that he had compiled. It had, instead been a list of traits that Lory had gathered from Kotonami-san, Yashiro-san, and, most importantly, Ren, traits of the young woman sitting in front of him. He watched as confusion clouded her face. She looked at him questioningly and he could see a faint trace of fear and pain in her telling gold eyes.

"I don't understand…" Kyoko murmured softly. Lory smiled at her sadly.

"What is it that you don't understand, Mogami-san?"Lory asked innocently, wondering what was going through her mind.

"Well… the background story sounds like me, and some of the other traits and hobbies sound like me, but…" Kyoko trailed off uncertainly.

"But what?" Lory nudged.

"Some of the other traits are very unlike me! I'm not beautiful or talented or s-s-se-sexy! I'm not helpful or interesting or…" Kyoko teared up as she internally berated herself. Lory felt a surge of frustration and anger towards the ones who had torn this incredible young woman down.

"I think you will find many people who would disagree with you, Kyoko-chan." Lory stated firmly. Kyoko looked up in surprise. "Either way, you are to be this character, but with a slight twist. Instead of believing yourself to be unworthy of the description in that folder, you are to believe you are worth it. Also, you are to be a Kyoko who believes in love and who believes that she deserves love."

Kyoko starred at Lory with wide, fearful eyes. She couldn't do this, she couldn't possibly…

"By the way, your character name is Kyoko." Kyoko began to feel a little faint. What was he trying to do, show her just how unworthy she was? How was she going to pull this off?!

Lory watch her emotions run rampant on her face. He steeled himself as he prepared to finish this conversation. He wasn't going to let her run away from this.

"Kyoko-chan, this is a LoveME assignment. You have no choice. You are to go with Jelly into the next room and create your character now. You are responsible for instructing Jelly on how you believe you should look and the clothes you wear. When you come out of the room, I expect you to be in character."Lory's face softened as he looked at her. "I understand this will be difficult for you, but this is important for you to grow."

Kyoko nodded and trudged over to the door. Lory sighed after the door closed. He knew this was going to be hard on her, but she needed to do this to understand what others saw in her. She needed to gain the confidence she deserved to have in herself.

If she protested any further, he would have to invoke the subject of her professionalism. He chuckled. No matter how much she hated a project, once she was committed to it, her professionalism and actor's spirit refused to let her do anything but her best for a role. There were some phone calls and paperwork that he had to take care of while he waited.

An hour later, he heard the door open and Jelly appeared. Lory looked at her questioningly. Jelly stared for a second before her face broke out into a big grin. She nodded and Lory became excited. The look on her Jelly's face could only mean she happily approved of what Kyoko had decided to do. And if Jelly approved, with the perfectionist she was, Lory was sure he would love it.

The door opened a second time. Lory watched in anticipation as he waited for Kyoko to appear. A leg appeared first, wearing a stylish, yet professional black closed-toe heel. As the rest of her appeared, Lory's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. Kyoko walked up to him gracefully and bowed.

"Kaichou."

 ** _So what do yall think about the first chapter? I am thinking force Kyoko to gain some confidence by creating a confident character, based off of herself! Please, Please, Please review! I live off of reviews! Hope you all love the plotline I am going with! Oh, and be very excited for the next chapter! Some definite Ren action is going to happen. Can you imagine how he is going to react to this new, confident, and accepting of love Kyoko?! Heehee...So excited!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_So far I've gotten some great responses from you guys and I hope I can continue to deliver! Also, any OOC moments for Ren, I attribute to Kuon slowly peeking out and his shock over Kyoko's changes, and OOC momments for Kyoko are due to her development of her "Kyoko" character._**

 ** _chibi monsta: I know! I thought of this and realized that I hadn't seen anyone take this approach! I hope I do it justice._**

 ** _NaginiFay: Yeah, that pretty much sums this up... :D_**

 ** _Guest who rambled: You sound like me as I was trying to explain this to my husband! He just laughed at me... But please leave me comments like that all the time! I love it!_**

 ** _Anyway, back to the story..._**

 _The door opened a second time. Lory watched in anticipation as he waited for Kyoko to appear. A leg appeared first, wearing a stylish, yet professional black closed-toe heel. As the rest of her appeared, Lory's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. Kyoko walked up to him gracefully and bowed._

" _Kaichou."_

::::::::::

The young woman who stood before him was definitely Kyoko, but there was something… different. It almost changed her entire aura. And somehow, he was in awe of the young woman standing before him.

Kyoko was dressed in a classic pair of black closed-toe heels that made her look ridiculously tall compared to her normal height. And her legs looked like they went on for miles. She had on a dark blue pair of skinny jeans that sat easily on her hips. They looked as though they had been made and tailored specifically for her. Her shirt was a lavender peasant blouse that had an empire waist, so the linen fabric hugged her chest nicely, and then fell softly around her stomach. The sleeves were long and loose, but had a surprise slit on the top of each sleeve that ran from her shoulder to her wrist. The embroidery on the neckline was a golden color that perfectly matched her eyes. The neckline was a scooped neckline that was lo enough to be appealing but high enough to fit her modest personality. In the middle of the neckline, there was a tie that closed a small keyhole in the fabric, giving just a hint of the cleavage she had. And Lory had to assume that she had either grown a bit or chosen to wear a push-up bra, though he blushed slightly at that thought and looked away for a brief second. Kuon would kill him if he knew. (In a studio across the city, Ren had a sudden urge to gouge out Lory's eyes…)

For jewelry, Kyoko wore the simple yet elegant necklace she had made with Princess Rosa. A pair of simple yet elegant earring hung softly from her ears. They were a soft mix of silver and gold lines that were curved just enough to create dimension. Her hair was expertly spiked in just the right places. What little make-up she had on enhanced her elegant and beautiful features. The thin line of black eyeliner made her golden eyes glow. Or perhaps that was the new found confidence he saw there in her eyes.

But more than any of the material things, the most astounding thing was her presence. She stood properly, but held herself proudly. She was not stiff and uncomfortable as she usually was, but instead was relaxed and confident. She held her body in a way that was proper and respectful, but still showed it off to her advantage. The Kyoko before would have held her body in such a way that you would believe she was ashamed of it. The little details that she had changed from her normal persona made an incredible difference.

Kyoko waited for his verdict. Inside, she was freaking out! Somehow she felt like herself, but totally different as "Kyoko". And it was unnerving.

Lory watched her eyes and could see a glimmer of the battle raging inside this young woman. He decided she might need an ally in this situation. A light bulb went off and Lory had to contain the Cheshire cat like grin that threatened to spill onto his face. He knew who would be perfect.

"I must say, Kyoko-chan, you look wonderful!" Lory beamed. Kyoko blushed slightly, and glanced away briefly, but did not dent his comment.

"Thank you." That was the soft but happy reply he received. Lory could have danced around in joy if he hadn't been in such a bulky costume. She had accepted his compliment!

"You look like yourself, but there is the slight difference of you having a bit more confidence. And confidence suits you." Jelly nodded adamantly in agreement.

"I do think, with your slight changes, that you probably need a manager, as I think you will find yourself with more job offers and more… alternative attention." Kyoko blushed and looked away but said nothing. Inside she was protesting furiously. "As I was, unfortunately, not prepared, I think the only solution is to use the best manager we have to manage both you and his current charge."

Kyoko looked at him in mild confusion.

"Who would that be, Kaichou?"

"Why your dear old friend, Yashiro!"

::::::::::

Kyoko made her way through the lobby, looking at her phone, debating what she should do. She was oblivious to the large quantity of men staring at her as she walked by, using the walk Ren had taught her for Natsu. She didn't even realize she had adopted the walk, but subconsciously, she felt it was appropriate for her "character". Several men ended with injuries as a few walked into walls or columns and others ended up in a pile-up mid-lobby. But not a single one regretted it.

Kyoko was thinking about what she should do: should she call Ren, or Yashiro? How should she act with both of them? Would her character still call them by their last names? Should she invite Ren to cal her Kyoko? She stop and sighed. This was more difficult than she'd thought. Creating a character was one thing, but recreating yourself, ridiculously hard. She took a deep breath and pressed call. She waited as it rang, silently begging for it to go to voicemail, and then almost froze when she heard the click of him answering.

"Hello?"

"Hello Tsuruga-san." Kyoko said smoothly.

"Ah, Mogami-san. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Ren was slightly startled when she greeted him. Something sounded and felt different.

"Actually, I was calling to see if you were free tonight. I have something I'd like to discuss with you and I'm sure you don't have plans for cooking yourself a healthy meal. I least, I hope you don't, considering your last attempt at cooking." Kyoko bantered playfully.

Ren stared at his phone in amazement. Was this really Kyoko? He quickly got back on the phone.

"Of course Mogami-san. I would be delighted to have you come over. I get off around 7. What is your schedule?"

"I get off at 7 as well. If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could give me a ride?" Inside, Kyoko was screaming at herself for inconveniencing her sempai. Ren hought he was going to pass out. This was too good to be true, right?

"Of course not. You know I've never minded helping you out Mogami-san."

"Oh, and Tsuruga-san?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you think it's about time you started calling me Kyoko?" Ren literally fell out of his chair. "You are the only one who doesn't and it's such a shame since we have been friends for quite a while now. At least, I consider you my friend."

Ren stammered for a second, not knowing what was going on, but not wanting to risk it stopping.

"Of course Kyoko. But only if you will call me Ren."

"Alright Ren. Seems like a fair trade." Ren could hear the mischievous smirk in her comment.

"Well then, I will see you this evening, Kyoko."

"Can't wait, Ren."

Kyoko waited until she was in the underground parking lot where her bike was stored before slumping to the ground in horror. What had she just done?!

::::::::::

Yashiro was alarmed when he walked in on a red-faced Tsuruga Ren, slumped down on the floor, with a dizzy look on his face. It took some time before Ren could explain, but when he did, the entire studio was brought to a halt by an unearthly shriek of joy. Those closest to the dressing room hurried away, in fear for their lives.

::::::::::

When Ren arrived at LME, he didn't see Kyoko waiting for him in the garage. He hopped out and headed up towards the lobby, pulling his phone out on the way. He was just about to dial her number when the elevator door opened and he stepped out to a sight that nearly stopped his heart.

Kyoko was sitting on one of the couches, surrounded by guys. Deep inside him, Kuon was blowing a gasket. He plastered on his gentlemen's smile, causing a few women to swoon nearby, and headed her way. As he got closer, he could hear their conversation.

"Seriously guys, you've all been very sweet, but I am supposed to be meeting someone downstairs. You're making me late." Ren's smile got brighter as he saw a slight hint of a pout on her face. _She probably didn't even know she was doing it._ Ren sighed. What angered him even more, though, were the guys.

"Aw, Kyoko-chan, we were having such a nice talk."

"Come on Kyoko, I'll drive you wherever you need to go."

"How about ditching whoever it is so you can hang out with me?"

Kyoko smiled at them, but insisted she needed to leave. Ren was about to blow his top when they all just got closer to her, when he suddenly froze and realized, she was not going to need his help.

She smiled at them, but her eyes became hard with a Mio-like glare. The combination was terrifying.

"If you don't mind, I need to leave. I have obligations and responsibilities, and you are preventing me from being a professional." She stepped up close to one of the more persistent guys. "Do you want to claim responsibility when my career goes down the drain due to your adolescent antics?"

The guy swallowed hard, not knowing if he was more scared or more turned on. He shook his head. She smiled wickedly and stepped back, Natsu peeking through Mio's veneer.

"Good. Now, if you don't mind?" With a flick of her wrist, she indicated that they should move. Instantly, a pathway opened up and she sauntered out of the group. That's when Ren saw all of her. If he had not been Japan's Top Actor, he would have had to have his jaw wired back into its original position.

She was breathtaking. If anyone had asked him his favorite style of pants and favorite color at that moment, he would have answered skinny jeans and lavender, respectively. Something, something was very different. He wasn't sure if it for better or for worse, but he certainly was appreciating it here and now.

Kyoko caught sight of him and his knees went weak as she smiled brilliantly. He weakly thought how unfair that was. No woman as beautiful as her should have that smile in her arsenal as well!

"Ren!" Kyoko walked over to him. He noticed she was using the walk he had helped her learn. Inwardly, he cursed and congratulated himself for that accomplishment.

"I'm so sorry I didn't meet you in the parking lot." Kyoko looked sincerely sorry, but there was a lack of dogeza. Ren didn't know if he should be happy or suspicious. "Those gentlemen were very anxious it seems to ask me questions, though I'm not sure why. They were rather difficult to… remove myself from."

Ren almost snorted at her wording. He happily noticed that she never once turned back to look at her group of suitors. He looked up to see them staring at the two of them in shock and frustration. Kuon broke through briefly and gave them a smug smirk. While looking at them, he offered Kyoko his arm. She looked at him happily and link her arms through his without hesitation. He noted that atleast half of the suitors looked irritated. He shot them a look that said _she's mine_ before turning back to Kyoko and leading her out. Kyoko looked at him worriedly.

"Are you alright, Ren?" Ren schooled his face before answering.

"Of course Kyoko. I was just thinking about your group of admirers back there. You certainly are becoming very popular." Kyoko smiled at him graciously.

"I don't know if I would call them admirers, but I appreciate the sentiment." She glanced at their arms briefly. "Are you sure it's alright to walk with me like this Ren? We might cause some rumors and then Kaichou won't be able to call you boring anymore" She winked at him with a grin. Ren chuckled.

"Well, I don't know of a guy out there who would mind being caught in a rumor with such a lovely lady as yourself. It would be my honor to become less boring in Boss's eyes if it was with you." Ren teased her back, unconsciously letting out more of his feelings than he intended to. Inside, Kyoko was in shock.

 _WHAT?!_

On the outside, Kyoko just blushed prettily.

"You are a shameless flatterer, you know that?" Ren laughed happily. He wasn't sure if this was real or a dream, but she felt real on his arm, and he didn't want it to stop, real or not.

He opened the car door for her and she thanked him as she stepped inside his car. He appreciated the picture she made as she settled down into her seat before closing the door. Ren made his way to the driver's seat, thanking the gods for whoever invented heels.

 _ **Weeelllll? I was super stoked and giggly while writing this chapter, so much so that I doubled my last chapter by accident. I'm sure y'all won't hold it against me though... ;) Leave me reviews! I live and breathe from them! And your comments inspire me, so please! Speak my muses!**_

 _ **P.S. Prepare yourselves for the next chapter. They are going to be at Ren's apartment and she is going to reveal her "character" to him. How much do you think Ren will take advantage of this, or do think he'll chicken out? How do you think Kyoko will react if he does take advantage of the situation? EEEEEE! Super excited!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Sorry I didn't update the past couple of days. I got stung by a wasp two days ago on my shoulder and it made it hard to type and then my computer decided to crap out on me yesterday! So I tried to make this chapter as amazing as possible. So I hope you enjoy!_**

 ** _Kumioko: Don't ever be sorry for writing that much! I was super happy to see and read such a long review! And you make excellent points about Sho and Sawara-san. There will be some definite Sho humiliation. Can't have a good Skip Beat fanfic without it. I will have to incorporate some of those ideas into the story. It's taking such a different turn than what I had planned. :)_**

 ** _chibi monsta: Seriously! I do plan on having some Hizuri interaction at some point, but, as I told Kumioko, the story is leading me in a different direction than I originally thought, so we shall see where it decides to take me._**

 ** _Oishi24: Thanks so much! I was worried it might get too OOC, but I felt it was all important to the story. And I totally agree. Kuon would lose it. I figured that would make any discrepancies work. ;)_**

 _He opened the car door for her and she thanked him as she stepped inside his car. He appreciated the picture she made as she settled down into her seat before closing the door. Ren made his way to the driver's seat, thanking the gods for whoever invented heels._

::::::::::

The conversation in Ren's car was light and happy. Kyoko bantered with Ren and openly teased him back when he would tease her. She said his name with ease and Ren was in heaven. It was like they were dating. He was particularly shocked when Kyoko's hand, which had been stretched out to rest on the shoulders of his seat for more comfort as she was turned towards him to talk, began twirling his hair at the base of his neck. He had nearly lost control of the car. He shivered as he felt her hand softly tickle his neck and found himself to suddenly be very warm.

Kyoko noticed that he was blushing but "Kyoko" did nothing while Kyoko internally tried to figure out why. He wasn't smiling his gentlemen's smile nor did she feel his dark aura coming out. So he couldn't be mad at what she was doing, even though she really wanted to berate herself over it. So if he wasn't mad he was… embarrassed? Maybe. Maybe he thought what she was doing was improper. But, then, wouldn't he be mad at her for doing something improper? And he wasn't mad. So what was it? She suddenly remembered that he had shivered earlier, but he didn't look cold. Maybe… A thought dawned on her that both horrified her and surprised her. But it was the only one that made sense. Did… did he **like** her playing with his hair?!

During her musings, neither version of Kyoko had said anything. She had, however, stared at her hand and Ren's neck while making, in Ren's opinion, some incredibly cute faces. This was driving him crazy! Particularly when a faint blush colored her cheeks towards the end of her faces.

They arrived at the grocery store and she didn't seem to notice. He parked and leaned his head back into her hand onto the head rest. She didn't seem to notice his movement, so he turned towards her a bit and leaned closer to her face to look directly into her eyes.

Kyoko was shocked out of her internal debate when she realized just how close Ren's face was. Her hand was still on the back of his neck, so it almost seemed like she was holding him to her. Real Kyoko wanted to scream, but "Kyoko" only blushed.

Ren saw the blush grow deeper when she realized he was there. She glanced away briefly, but then looked back into his eyes, her golden ones shining with happiness and shyness. The air seemed to thicken instantly as something clicked inside of him, telling him to go for it.

Kyoko felt Ren's hand cup her cheek and she instinctively closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. When she opened them, Ren had a heavenly smile on, but his eyes looked distinctively Emperor of the Night. Deep inside, Kyoko weakly protested the situation, but waited with baited breath. If she was truly honest with herself, she wasn't entirely sure what was about to happen, but she knew that she wanted it.

Ren was elated. She wasn't running and screaming from him! He leaned in closer, staring into those beautiful golden orbs. His body felt heavy as he paused briefly, a mere centimeter from her lips. Her eyes had closed and he could see he was breathing heavily. It shocked him to his core when he realized. She wanted this.

His lips gently pressed into hers in a sweet kiss. He didn't want to scare her off with a kiss too intense. But she surprised him again as her hand tightened in his hair and she pulled him into a deeper kiss. He let out a small growl against her mouth and let go of his restraint. His tongue licked her bottom lip briefly and she opened her mouth in a small gasp. He slipped his tongue in, teasing her and battling with her tongue. She let out a small whimper before moaning at the skill of his mouth.

They broke apart after a few more seconds, gasping for air. They stared into each other's eyes as they just waited for their brains to turn back on.

Ren had only one thought rotating through his mind. _Kyoko and I just kissed._

Kyoko was slowly regaining the ability to think. Suddenly he realized what had just happened. Even more so, she was shocked to realize that after Ren had first begun to kiss her, "Kyoko" had gone out the window. SHE had been the one to pull Ren closer. SHE had been the one to deepen the kiss. SHE had been the one to moan at how he was kissing her. She blushed furiously as she fumbled to regain her character. She couldn't face him without it at the moment.

Ren noticed when she fully registered what had happened. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face as she looked at him. Kyoko was shocked to see him so happy. Her brain short circuited again but fortunately her character's did not. She smiled back at him softly.

"I think we should go get the groceries before we find something less nutritious to devour." Kyoko grinned cheekily and winked at him as she opened her door and made to step out. Ren's eyes bugged when her heard her. She had just made a sex joke…

He realized she was waiting for him and he quickly got out of the car, pulling on a hat. He offered her a hat and she thanked him as she put it on. They made their way through the grocery rather quietly. When they checked out, Kyoko briefly protested him paying, but relented quicker than she normally would. Ren was pleased with this, but was less than pleased with the attention the clerk was paying to his Kyoko. Gratefully, Kyoko was preoccupied with some cooking magazines she saw near the register. When she wasn't looking, Ren quickly added all the ones she'd looked at to the grocery pile.

They put the groceries in his car and then headed to his apartment. The ride there was slightly awkward, but mostly just a comfortable silence. Both of them were still processing what had happened earlier. Neither knew how to start the conversation so they both decided to wait until later.

After arriving, Ren carried all the bags up to the room. He realized, though, as they stood in front of the door, that was a big mistake. He had put his keys back in his pocket, not thinking, and now he couldn't reach them.

Ren blushed when Kyoko grinned at him and asked which pocket. She slowly snaked her hand into his pocket and retrieved the keys for him. Ren was left with a very red face and a growing problem. Kyoko opened the door and removed her shoes like she lived there. Ren glowed with happiness as he watched. He made his way inside and, after removing his shoes, headed towards the kitchen with the groceries. He glanced back at her as she neatly rearranged their shoes. His heart stopped when she looked back at him and softly whispered.

"Tadaima."

Her heart stopped when he smiled.

"Okaeri nasai."

::::::::::

Kyoko had kicked Ren out of the kitchen after he had put all the groceries away. She quickly made a simple yet delicious meal and Ren was finished eating before he realized. He helped her with the dishes and they made their way into the living room. Both of them sat there wondering how they should start.

"Kyoko, about earlier…"

"Ren, I need to tell you…"

They stopped and looked at each other in surprise and then laughed.

"Please, Kyoko, you go first." Ren smiled. Kyoko smiled back and nodded.

"I need to tell you something before we talk about anything else. It's what I asked to talk to you about earlier." She was getting a little nervous now. Ren reached out and held her hand. She smiled at him softly.

"Kaichou gave me another LoveME task today. It's a really difficult one and he thought I might need some help with it so he recommended that I talk to you. I'm glad it was you, too, because I wouldn't have wanted to talk about it with anyone else honestly, except maybe Moko-san." She smiled happily and then shook her head. "I'm getting off track. Anyway, the thing is, Kaichou said I can only talk to you about it. No one else.'

Ren was getting more curious by the minute. But he waited patiently, not wanting to rush her.

"I have a new role that I have to portray. It's actually a lot like Setsu." Ren's mood darkened as he thought of her wearing those clothes without him around to cover her up. "Well, not exactly. She's totally opposite Setsu in every way." Ren breathed a sigh of relief but then felt confused.

"What I mean is that I have to live as this character for the next month." Ren was starting to feel nervous.

"What kind of character is this, Kyoko?" Ren asked, encouraging her to continue. He wasn't sure how he felt when he saw her blush like a tomato.

"Umm… Well, the character is… me."

Ren sat there confused. What on earth was she talking about?!

"The character is apparently based off of me, just with a few changes." Ren suddenly felt very angry at Lory. He was sure this was not going to be good. He began to worry about what had happened between them earlier.

"What changes?" Ren asked calmly, trying to maintain his composure.

"Well, for one thing, he gave me a list of traits that he said were things people thought about me. Things like helpful, hard-working, talented, s-s-sexy." Kyoko swallowed hard at the last word. "He said that I had to make my character confident in the things people were saying about me. He said that I had to believe that the positive things they were saying was how they really felt about me. Ren was shocked.

"And then there was one other change." She went back to being a tomato. "He said that my character had to believe in… love."

Ren stared at her.

"He said that I had to believe in that feeling and be open to it. He said I had to believe that I deserved to be loved."

Ren slowly began putting the pieces together. The phone call, the group of guys surrounding her, the… He suddenly became irritated.

"So when do you start the character, Kyoko?" He said evenly, hoping that she wouldn't give the answer he knew was about to come.

"I started it right before I called you."

"So earlier, when I kissed you…?" Kyoko squeaked as she saw the Demon Lord appearing.

"Umm… well, I was… sort of in character." Ren's dark aura vanished like someone had vacuumed it up.

"Sort of? What do you mean sort of?"

"Well, umm… I-I-I…" Kyoko stammered. Ren took both of her hands in his.

"Kyoko, why don't you try getting into character so you can tell me." Kyoko nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, they were still Kyoko. Still unsure about the situation, but there was more resolve and confidence there. Ren was, yet again, amazed at the woman next to him.

"I was the character until…" Kyoko glanced away, embarrassed.

"Until…?" Ren prompted, hoping beyond all hope.

"Until you kissed me!" She shouted, with her eyes closed tightly. "I was completely in character until you kissed me and then she just vanished! I'm so sorry, I couldn't help it! I just responded to your kiss and I…"

Tears began forming in her eyes as she waited for him to respond. She looked up after a while when he didn't say anything.

What she found was a very frozen Ren.

 _ **BOOM! How's that for dropping a bomb? I hope you guys liked it! I tried to make it extra juicy since I was a little late in updating. Also, I think I might need to change the rating to M, just in case. I don't think I am ready to write a lemon or anything, but I will probably have more moments like earlier and I don't want to get in trouble with the fanfic police. :D**_

 _ **So, it has finally happened! What do you think is going through Ren's mind? What do you want to see happen next with the couple? As I said before, there is definite Sho humiliation planned and Hizuri interaction is hoped for. Plus, I don't want to make this too easy for Ren. I think I'll throw a few monkey wrenches in, so expect some hilarious obstacles to come! Send me some ideas, and maybe I will add it into the story. And, as always, review, review, review! I have been like a Cheshire cat every time I see one posted!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**DOUBLE FEATURE! Two chapters in one day! I was really in the groove with writing. And I'm the type that buys all the gifts early for Christmas and then doesn't want to wait for Christmas. So Merry Christmas in... August! Lol. Anywho. Enjoy!**_

" _Until you kissed me!" She shouted, with her eyes closed tightly. "I was completely in character until you kissed me and then she just vanished! I'm so sorry, I couldn't help it! I just responded to your kiss and I…"_

 _Tears began forming in her eyes as she waited for him to respond. She looked up after a while when he didn't say anything._

 _What she found was a very frozen Ren._

::::::::::

Kyoko quickly scooted closer to Ren. He wasn't freezing cold and the look in his eyes didn't look dead. They looked shocked but they had life in them. She patted his cheek, trying to wake him up from his stupor.

"Ren? Ren, answer me. Wake up! Tsuruga Ren, wake up right now!"Kyoko was almost in his lap at this point, trying to shorten the height difference so she could continue to try and wake him up. "REN! Wake up damn it!"

She was getting frustrated. Seriously, she essentially just confessed to wanting to kiss him and having feelings for him, and he FREEZES! Granted, confident Kyoko was still in charge, but real Kyoko was feeling pretty close to the same, with a few lingering thoughts of how she wasn't good enough. Ugh, how could he do this right now?!

Kyoko sat there thinking, trying to find a way to unfreeze him. A light bulb came on as she thought about all the times he had pulled her out of her frozen states. Many of those moments had one thing in common and she was sure she could pull off her own version easily with her new confident persona. A Natsu-like smirk slowly made its way across her face.

Kyoko moved so that she was kneeling one knee on the couch space between Ren's legs. She now towered over him and she tilted his head up so that his eyes would meet hers when he defrosted. One hand placed on his chest, the other hand twined her hands into the hair on the back of his head. Suddenly, her eyes darkened sexily as she leaned her face very close to his. She brought her lips close to his ear and she whispered.

"Ren, you're being a very bad boy. Do I need to give you a punishment?"

Kyoko felt him shiver, and she leaned back to see his face. She saw as his eyes focused and saw what was happening for the first time. His eyes widened and his breath quickened.

"Kyoko…" Ren whispered hoarsely. He saw a look on her face that was filled with desire and sexual power. For some reason, a single thought was forced into his mind: _The Empress_. He shivered again as she tightened her hold on the back of his head. Her hand on his chest slid upwards as his hands immediately went for her waist. Her hand slowly made its way up to his neck, where she began tracing the outlines of his neck muscles with a single finger. He swallowed visibly and took a deep, shaky breath.

Kyoko leaned really close to him, their lips almost touching.

"It looks like someone needs to be taught a lesson." She whispered. Ren could almost feel her lips as she stared sexily into his eyes.

Then suddenly Kyoko moved away, got up, and sauntered over to her original spot where she smiled, a smug look on her face. She sat down in a provocative manner, her elbow on the back of his couch, and her legs crossed, making the jeans tightened around her body. She turned her body completely on the couch to be facing him, causing her foot to brush against his thigh. She rested her other arm softly across her thigh, allowing her upper arm to press just underneath her breast, lifting it slightly.

Ren stared in shock at the empty spot in front of him where she had been just seconds before. He felt like he'd had a bucket of ice water dumped on him. He looked at her as she looked at him with that smirk on her face. What had just happened?!

"Serves you right for all those times you used the Emperor of the Night on me." Kyoko laughed at him.

Ren's head snapped up from his stupor.

"The Emperor?!" Is that why he had thought of her as the Empress?

"That's what I call your face when you look like you want to eat me." Kyoko explained casually. "Do you see now why I freak out when you do that?"

Yes, he did. That was…. Dear God. If he had really been looking at her like that all this time, he wasn't as good of an actor in regards to his feeling as he had thought. But that was beside the point. The fog in his brain was slowly clearing and he was remembering what they were talking about before he'd become a Greek statue. He looked back at her in surprise.

"You wanted to kiss me?" Ren asked, incredulously. Kyoko sighed, and slowly unfolded herself into a less sexy position.

"In one word, yes. But, bear in mind how ridiculous you sound, asking that, when every woman in Japan wants to kiss you. You really shouldn't say such foolish things." Kyoko shook her head. She wondered about him at times.

Ren frowned and moved to sit next to her, surprising Kyoko. She looked up at him and he could read her eyes like a book. He saw the glimmers of fear, but he saw something else: Hope.

He softly caressed her cheek as he stared deeply into her eyes, trying to convey to her the depth of his love for her.

"The difference in that situation between you and all the other women in Japan is that I love you." Ren whispered before kissing her. Her eyes widened in shock and then closed softly, a single tear rolling out down her cheek as she kissed him back. It was a sweet, soft kiss that showed her how much he cherished her.

When they broke apart, Ren saw the trail down her cheek that her tear had left. He softly rubbed it away.

"Why are you crying?" He asked softly.

"Because I never thought that you could love me back." Kyoko said softly, burying her head in his shoulder. Ren smiled brilliantly as he pulled her up to face him.

"So, that means you…" He trailed off, wanting to let her be the first one to say it. Kyoko nodded.

"I love you."

Ren's smile grew so big, he thought it would break his face. She loved him back! This character Lory gave her was the best thing to… Wait. The smile diminished as he grew worried.

"Which Kyoko am I talking to?" he asked softly.

Kyoko thought for a minute.

"Both. I think." She worried her lip as she tried to explain. "I wouldn't be saying this if I wasn't being 'confident Kyoko', but the feelings are from the real me." She looked into his eyes hopefully, wondering if she had explained it right. She was encouraged when a happy look reappeared on Ren's face. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and she got nervous.

"Umm… Ren?" He looked at her wondering what was making her nervous. Didn't they just get past the hard part? "I have something to tell you. I… ummm… I'm Bo."

Ren stared at her as it sunk in. Tentokomai, his fake smile, figuring out he was in love with Kyoko, being told by Bo, who was Kyoko, to seduce the girl he loved, also Kyoko… Kyoko was shocked when he bust out laughing. It was hysterical! He could feel tears pouring down his face as he struggled to breath between laughs. His movements caused him to slip off the couch, casing Kyoko to fall by proxy, since he still had her in his arms.

They ended up on the floor, in tumbled mess. Kyoko stared at a side of Ren she'd never seen. Her face grew red as she tried not to laugh as well. She failed. Ren paused laughing briefly to see the love of his life clutching her sides in mirth. He pulled her to him with a grin on his face and softly kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Kyoko."

She smiled at him with her face pink from laughing and a gorgeous smile on her face.

"I love you too, Ren."

 ** _EEEEEE! Total fluff everywhere! Be warned, though. Things will start getting difficult for our lovely couple here in the next chapter. *Evil laugh* Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! Keep up the amazingly long reviews! I want details and lots of them! Tell me how you really feel! Until the next chapter. 3_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_I'm so sorry it has taken me this long! It has been a difficult few months with kids starting school, whole family getting sick, and then having to deal with my grandfather passing away. I'm afraid I went through a bit of writer's block after that, but I am back and ready to go. So here's a good long chapter for you to get back into the swing. Hope you love it!_**

 _They ended up on the floor, in tumbled mess. Kyoko stared at a side of Ren she'd never seen. Her face grew red as she tried not to laugh as well. She failed. Ren paused laughing briefly to see the love of his life clutching her sides in mirth. He pulled her to him with a grin on his face and softly kissed her forehead._

" _I love you, Kyoko."_

 _She smiled at him with her face pink from laughing and a gorgeous smile on her face._

" _I love you too, Ren."_

::::::::::

The sound of her phone alarm woke Kyoko up the next morning, but everything felt different as she snuggled into her warm bed, for once not jumping up to get ready for work. Maybe it was the "character" she was playing. Or maybe it was telling Ren her feelings and him returning them. Or maybe…

Kyoko's eyes shot open. Something was very different. Why were her sheets blue? And since when did they have buttons on them?

Her bed shifted underneath her and she let out a small shriek as she was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. The shriek caused her "bed" to jump up in alarm, ready to defend her and attack the offending person or thing. Ren's eyes adjusted to his surroundings and he looked around in sleepy confusion.

Kyoko was sitting on the floor of his apartment, looking mildly disheveled. He stared at her like she was a mythical apparition. Kyoko held her breath as she watched the emotions on his face flicker rapidly through. She had never seen his face so… open and unguarded. She knew he had fully woken up and realized what was happening when a big boyish grin appeared and his eyes seemed to shine with happiness.

She smiled happily back at him and let out a small giggle. If this is what he was like every morning after waking up, it would be very interesting to wake up from now on. She blushed brightly as she realized what she had just thought about.

Ren was startled as she clapped her hands to her cheeks hard. She looked at him happily, but also with determination. He watched as she closed her eyes, and took a deep, long breath. He sensed a very slight shift in her presence and realized she was getting into character.

Kyoko slowly opened her golden eyes and looked at Ren. She grinned cheekily, gracefully stood up, and sauntered over to him.

"Good morning, Ren." Kyoko wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in slightly for a kiss. Ren, still surprised at her "character", leaned in a kiss her softly on the lips.

"Yes it is, Kyoko." Kyoko smiled brightly and then turned towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to start breakfast. Anything in particular that you'd like?" Ren watched her hips sway as if he was in a trance. This "Kyoko" was going to break him. He quickly reached over and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

"You." Ren growled softly in her ear before kissing her on the soft spot just behind her ear. Kyoko shivered at the contact as he made his way down her neck, softly kissing her into oblivion. Regular Kyoko was losing her mind while "Kyoko" was mildly shy at the intimate caresses.

"Ren." Was that really her voice? It sounded so husky and raw. She cleared her throat. "We are both a mess from falling asleep on the couch and we have an hour before we have to leave for work We really don't have time for this right now!" She half-heartedly struggled against his arms. She nearly fainted when Ren chuckled on her collarbone.

"So that means we'll have time for this later?" She didn't need to turn around to know that the Emperor was out in full force. She blushed brightly at the implications she had unintentionally given and Ren had spoken. There was only so much "Kyoko" could do to repress Kyoko's natural responses after all.

Suddenly, Ren spun her around in his arms. Kyoko let out a small squeak of surprise. His hand cupped her cheek and he leaned down to kiss her, gently. Kyoko closed her eyes and sighed into the kiss. When they broke apart, Ren was smiling at her softly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just…" Ren blushed lightly and looked away.

"Just what?" Kyoko tilted her head to the side a bit to try and make eye contact again.

"Once you told me that you loved me, all my restraint, all the things I had been telling myself to control my feelings and desires just disappeared. I just started reacting to you the way I've been wanting to. I'm sorry." Ren looked embarrassed as Kyoko stared at him in shock.

"No!" Ren looked surprised as Kyoko shouted at him.

"Don't be sorry for feeling that way! I... I…" Kyoko blushed but determinedly kept speaking. "Obviously, I don't want to move too fast, plus there are a lot of things we need to consider, like how this affects our careers. But I don't want you to regret being yourself around me! I want to see you, the real you! The you that no one else knows and is only for me! I know that may be selfish, but… I want you and everything about you."

Kyoko blushed brilliantly, but stared firmly into his eyes. They flickered to the side briefly as she whispered a small comment.

"Besides, it's not like I didn't like what you were doing…" Ren stared at her in shock briefly before crashing his lips down onto hers. One hand ran down her lower back and the other made its way to the back of her neck and hair, pulling her closer and tilting her head back at the same time. Kyoko whimpered as she tightly grabbed the front of his shirt.

Ren released her lips, panting. He looked down at Kyoko, at her hooded eyes and swollen lips, at the love and desire mingling in her gaze. He felt her heart pounding wildly and her chest heaving as she breathed heavily. He gently ran his thumb along the side of her cheek and she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. His heart swelled with love and pride as he took in the woman he loved.

Something she said though stuck painfully in his mind. There was still something else he had to tell her. He wasn't sure how she'd react. He was afraid of what it would do to what he had is his arms at that very moment. But she deserved the truth and no matter what it cost him, he would tell her.

"Kyoko, there's something I need to tell you. It's something very important." Kyoko's eyes refocused as she listened intently. Something in her told her that he was in pain over what he wanted to say. She placed a hand on his cheek comfortingly.

"It will take a while to explain though. I think I can get Yashiro to clear my day, but I don't know what you have, so…" Ren trailed off, not sure how to continue.

"I have a small blog interview and the general LoveME work today. Nothing important. I can clear my day. I'm sure Yashiro could help me with that if this is really that important to you." Kyoko smiled reassuringly. Ren sighed in relief. He let her go with a quick sweet kiss on the forehead and went to call Yashiro. This would give him a few minutes to form his thoughts on how he was going to tell her.

Kyoko was sitting on the couch with two cups of coffee, waiting for him. She smiled when he came out.

"Are we all set?" Ren nodded and took the coffee she offered him. "Good. Well, this is certainly a rare day. I put a couple of breakfast pastries in the oven to bake. It should take another 40 minutes or so. Is that enough time for us to talk?" Ren smiled.

"Yes. What I have to say shouldn't take too long, it's the questions after the story that I am unsure of." Ren rubbed his forehead worriedly. Kyoko took his hand away from his face and held it tightly in her hand, trying to squeeze some reassurance from her to him.

"Ren. Whatever you have to say, it won't be that bad. Sometimes it hurts worse if you keep things cooped up inside." Ren looked at her sadly.

"It's not me I'm worried about hurting." Ren whispered and Kyoko looked at him confused. Ren took a deep calming breath and began.

"You know Tsuruga Ren is just a stage name, correct?" Kyoko nodded. "Well, no one except Kaichou knows who I really am. But you actually know the real me. Both real me's. You just never made the connection to them being the same as Tsuruga Ren. A long time ago, before I came to Japan, I struggled to find my place in a world where my father was, well, "king". He is good at what he does and I resented the implications that had on me. I worked hard to be recognized for my own talents, but my father's influence was too great. I became violent when no one would recognize me for me, and not his son. And I was resented by others who were jealous of the supposed easy life I had with a famous father who could get me any role I wanted. I was constantly fighting and getting into trouble. A friend of mine tried to help me, but because of me, he lost his life." Ren's voice cracked as tears formed in his eyes. Kyoko scooted closer to put her arms around him, but he stopped her. He smiled and shook his head.

"I need to finish this first, ok?" Kyoko nodded and just sat as close to him as she could. Something sounded very familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"After Rick's death, I felt like an empty shell. It was my fault he died. I killed my best friend. If I hadn't run out into the street to chase after one of the thugs who I was fighting, he wouldn't have come after me and gotten hit by the car. I was empty and worthless. My parents didn't know what to do. So Kaichou took me to Japan to start over, new life and a new name. I worked hard to create Tsuruga Ren, to make him perfect and unbreakable. I didn't want anyone to know about my past or my real name. I swore I would never see my parents until I became as great as my father. I haven't seen them since I left, except for a few brief encounters with my father. Neither of us acknowledged each other as who we were, though."

Kyoko looked at the broken man before her with tears in her eyes. She had always known there was something broken inside of him, but she never knew it was this heartbreaking.

"Wait, but you said I know both of the real you's. I don't understand. Who are you really?" Kyoko asked curiously. Ren straightened up and steeled himself for the moment he had been dreading.

"Kyoko, my name is Hizuri Kuon, also known to you as… Corn."

Kyoko's eyes widened in shock and dismay.

 ** _It's has been revealed! What will happen to our couple now? And what is in store for Kyoko as she begins her month long journey as a confident, love accepting new her? Don't worry, I have plans. Very, very good plans. ;)_**


	6. Chapter 6

" _Wait, but you said I know both of the real you's. I don't understand. Who are you really?" Kyoko asked curiously. Ren straightened up and steeled himself for the moment he had been dreading._

" _Kyoko, my name is Hizuri Kuon, also known to you as… Corn."_

 _Kyoko's eyes widened in shock and dismay._

::::::::::

Ren watched Kyoko's face, watching the emotions war against each other. He knew it. She wasn't going to be able to forgive him.

"Kyoko?" Ren asked softly. Kyoko snapped her head up like she had been in a trance.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know where to start…" Kyoko's eyes hazed over in confusion. Ren started to put his hand on her, but hesitated. He didn't know if she would want the contact from someone who had betrayed her. He sighed and pulled his hand back.

"Why don't you start with what is making you the most upset right now?" Might as well get the worst of it out of the way, Ren thought. Kyoko worried her lip for a moment before facing him.

"The thing I am most upset about right now is that you are Hizuri Kuon. If you are Kuon, that means you are Otou-san's son. Which means that…" Kyoko turned bright red. "Which means that I was portraying you when Otou-san was here and you saw me!"

Ren stared at her, dumbfounded. Kyoko was hiding her face in her hands with her ears sticking out, redder than tomatoes. THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS UPSET ABOUT?! Ren didn't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry in relief. He did both.

Kyoko stared at him for a moment before pouting. He reached over and pulled her into his arms, still laughing. Kyoko buried her head in his chest, hiding in embarrassment. Her eyes peeked out, watching his facial expressions. She tilted her head curiously.

"What exactly did you think I was going to say?"

Ren calmed down so that he could respond to her. His eyes were shining with love and happiness.

"I thought you would hate me for not telling you I was Corn before this, and be upset when you found out I was Hizuri Kuon. I felt like I was betraying you by not telling you the truth." Kyoko's eyes widened in shock.

"What?! Why would I ever hate you? I'm sure you have your reasons for not telling me you are Corn, and as far as Kuon goes, it's not like you told everyone but me. It was a closely guarded secret! If anything, I'm happy that you felt safe enough to share this with me." Kyoko looked up at him earnestly. Ren chuckled and pressed his forehead to hers.

"You are amazing, you know that?"

Kyoko blushed and opened her mouth as if to protest, but then stopped halfway, remembering her "character". She closed her mouth, not sure how to respond. Her mind was racing with information when suddenly, a thought came to her.

"Wait, I do have a question for you."

Ren looked at her, waiting for her question.

"Whatever happened to that high school girl you told me about when I was Bo?"

Ren fell over in a roar of laughter, taking a shrieking Kyoko with him.

::::::::::

With a free day ahead of them, Kyoko and Ren leisurely ate their breakfast pastries and then got themselves ready. While Kyoko took a shower, Ren snuck out to a clothing store down the street. He came back to the apartment with a cute boutique bag hanging from his arm. He took off his shoes and head towards his room, planning on laying out the clothes he had just bought for Kyoko so she would see them after she got out of the shower.

When he opened the door, he froze. There was Kyoko playing with the clothes in his closet, in a towel. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he watched as she took one of his shirts off the hanger and held it up to her small frame. The shirt, if on, would fall to mid thigh on Kyoko. She giggled softly as she compared the arm length of his shirt to her own arm. Ren leaned in the doorway and smirked. Kyoko twirled with the shirt pressed up against her chest, and finally caught a glimpse of him watching her.

She shrieked and fell over. Ren caught her before she hit the ground. They stared at each other in surprise, Kyoko still clutching his shirt and Ren still sporting the adorable boutique baggie. They both colored when they realized Kyoko was still in only a towel.

Ren lifted her up gently, setting her back on her feet. He was reluctant to let go, feeling the smooth soft skin under his hands. Kyoko looked away from his intense gaze and finally noticed the bag hanging from his arm.

"Ren, what's that?" Ren looked to where she was pointing, having briefly forgotten about the decorative little thing. He slid it off his arm and handed it to her. She walked over to the bed and set it down. When she opened it up, he heard her gasp. He watched her, enjoying her reaction and the view. Her upper back and shoulders were exposed above the towel and her legs seemed to run for miles below.

Kyoko pulled a beautiful emerald green sweater dress out of the bag with golden thread woven throughout the defined waist area, followed by a pair of black tights. To complete the outfit, was a soft pair of black ankle boots with a small kitten heel and a gold buckle on the sides.

Kyoko turned to Ren and threw her arms around him. Ren wrapped his arms around her, blushing lightly at their position. She was going to be the death of him yet, with her oblivious innocence.

"Oh Ren! Thank you so much! They're beautiful!" Kyoko gushed. Kyoko started to slide back down, causing the towel to come loose. Kyoko felt something shift around her and looked down right as the towel started to slide off her. She shrieked and grabbed it before anything was revealed.

Ren stared at the ceiling, willing himself to not look and to retain some level of self-control. Both of them were red-faced, unwilling to look each other in the eye.

"I'm going to go wait out there while you get dressed." Ren finally said after several moments of awkward silence. Kyoko nodded in acknowledgement. She was afraid to open her mouth as she wasn't sure what would come out, between the real Kyoko and "Kyoko".

Ren waited, feeling like a naughty school boy. As soon as Kyoko stepped out, though, he knew he'd made the right choice in clothing. She was graceful and elegant. Ren also noticed that "Kyoko" was back in control again. He smiled when she made eye contact, loving the light pink blush that dusted her cheeks.

When she turned around, however, his heart dropped. He hadn't realized the dress had a lace back… There was no way he was going to maintain control with that in front of him all day.

They decided to go out, and enjoy their free day. A variety of shops , and 5 Kyoko stopping Ren from buying her ridiculous amounts of stuff later, they ended up a cute little ice cream shop. Kyoko went to go order while Ren made his way to the restroom. As she ordered, a figure in the back corner stared at her intently. A strand of hair slipped out of her hat, and her gold eyes flashed as she turned to go find a table. The figure stiffened visibly and then got up to follow her.

Kyoko happily ate her ice cream as she waited for Ren. When someone sat down, she looked up with a smile before freezing as her happiness slipped away.

"Hello, Kyoko." Sho sneered smugly at her.


	7. Chapter 7

_Kyoko happily ate her ice cream as she waited for Ren. When someone sat down, she looked up with a smile before freezing as her happiness slipped away._

" _Hello, Kyoko." Sho sneered smugly at her._

In the span of half a second, two things happened: one, real Kyoko internally began to rage about how she'd like to destroy the smug, condescending face that sat in front of her, and two, "Kyoko" had an epiphany which instantly quelled real Kyoko's rage.

As she looked at Sho, shocked that he was at an ice cream parlor and had approached her in public, "Kyoko" realized how pathetic he was and how pathetic it was to hate him. He was so obsessed with screwing with her, that he would take any opportunity to try and make her hate him. And she was falling for it, every single time. Real Kyoko mentally thanked Lory for forcing her to mature, even if it was all part of a character.

Sho's smug look slid off his face as he didn't receive the reaction he expected. Sure, she had looked shocked for a brief second, but now she had a calm, neutral look on her face. What the hell kind of reaction was that?

"Hello Sho." Kyoko calmly said. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Sho frowned at her lack of care. He leaned in to try and provoke her more. He snatched up one of the ice cream's, thinking it was hers. Kyoko frowned slightly.

"I don't know if you should do that, Sho. That's…" Kyoko started. Sho interrupted.

"It's yours? Oh, sorry." He said sarcastically. "Sucks for you then."

He was secretly pleased to have gotten something out of her. She couldn't hide her hate for him forever. Kyoko sighed, got up, and began walking to the counter to buy another ice cream. Suddenly, Sho's eyes bugged as every guy in the shop began staring at Kyoko. Her back was barely covered by the lacy back. There was also something different about her aura, but Sho couldn't take his eyes off of her long enough to figure it out.

A chill ran down Sho's spine as someone passed him and headed straight towards Kyoko. Sho inwardly laughed as he looked to see who it was. After all, who would want such an unattractive, bori… Sho nearly choked on the ice cream he was eating as he locked eyes with Tsuruga Ren!

Ren smirked as ice cream slid off the spoon and onto Sho's shirt, never once noticed by the annoying pest who sat open-mouthed. Kyoko turned around, saw Ren, and smiled. Every guy in the shop looked like they were about ready to trip over themselves for her. She walked up to Ren and handed him his ice cream. Ren was so irritated by everyone staring that he rashly bent down and kissed her. Kyoko was shocked at first, but then closed her eyes and kissed him back.

This brought Sho back from his state of shock. He looked furious. It was like he wasn't even there! He marched up to them and grabbed Kyoko's arm in an attempt to pull her away from Tsuruga. But before he could, Kyoko slapped his hand away. Kyoko looked at Sho, and where he expected to find hate, he found determination and pity.

"Please do not touch me so carelessly, Shotaro. It's not appropriate." Kyoko calmly said, a hint of Mio's regal annoyance shining through.

"Oh, so I grab your arm and it's inappropriate, but he starts sucking on your ugly face and it's okay?!" Sho exploded. People began staring and whispering. Ren glanced around and realized how foolish it had been to provoke Sho in public.

"It is none of your business, either way." Kyoko said. "I'm sorry, but we are busy right now. If you needed to talk to me, you'll have to do it later." She turned back towards Ren with a dismissive, bored Natsu look and took his hand.

Sho's blood boiled at being brushed off so casually. He reached out to grab her again, but his time was stopped by Ren, who moved in front of Kyoko and grabbed the foolish singer's wrist. Ren's eyes glinted dangerously at Sho.

"Ren, he's not worth the time of day." Kyoko tried to soothe Ren's irritation, knowing that if Sho really pissed Ren off, it wouldn't end well for the singer. Sho's eyes looked panicked when she said Ren's name.

"Please stop trying to touch my girlfriend." Ren released Sho's hand and turned away, satisfied at the pale look that had come over the brat at his words.

Ren and Kyoko bowed to the shop owner, apologizing for the scene and headed out. Sho stood there, white as a ghost, with ice cream stains on his shirt, wondering if he had really just lost. He suddenly felt enraged and kicked a chair, breaking it, before storming out the door.

Ren glanced at Kyoko as they walked and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He was regretting provoking Sho, especially since he ended up saying something that he and Kyoko hadn't even talked about yet. He was worried she might be mad at him for jumping the gun.

Kyoko noticed his fidgeting and looked at him questioningly.

"Everything ok, Ren?" Ren nodded, but Kyoko still continued to eye him suspiciously. Ren sighed.

"I was worried you might be mad at me." Kyoko looked at him incredulously.

"Over what?!"

Ren looked at her, surprised. He scanned her face, and realized there was no hesitation at all. Either she didn't hear what he had said, or she was ok with it. Either way he needed to know.

"Let's talk about this back at the apartment, ok?" Ren said. "It's only a block away and it would be better to have serious conversations like this in private."

Kyoko nodded but suddenly felt worried. Was he changing his mind? Was what he said to Sho strictly just to help her out? Kyoko forced herself to smile and stay calm.

After they arrived at Ren's apartment, Kyoko made a move toward the kitchen. Ren reached out and grabbed her hand.

"It's ok, food and drink can wait right now. I really want to talk to you." Ren smiled at her softly. He led her over to the couch where they sat down close to each other. Kyoko waited anxiously for Ren to start. A minute passed awkwardly as they sat there, looking at each other, Ren's mouth moving as if he was trying to find the right words to say.

"If it's about what you said…"

"It's about what I said…"

Ren and Kyoko looked at each other, startled. Kyoko laughed and Ren grinned at her boyishly. Kyoko nodded for Ren to go.

"It's about what I said at the ice cream shop. I figured I should probably talk with you about it before I assume too much." Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief, beginning to see where he was going.

"I didn't mean to blurt out that you were my girlfriend without talking to you first. It just kind of came out." Ren rubbed the back of his head nervously. Kyoko smiled at him, giggling at how he was acting.

"It's ok. It actually made me really happy to hear you say it." Ren looked at Kyoko hopefully.

"Are you sure? I don't want to move too fast." Kyoko scoffed.

"From what we've talked about, this has apparently been way overdue." Kyoko smirked at him playfully. "I think it has gone slow enough up to this point."

Ren laughed and grinned at her. She had a point…

"I do think it's something we probably need to keep under wraps for a while, to figure out how this will affect our careers." Kyoko stated. Ren nodded.

"We will probably need to talk to Lory and Yashiro about it." Ren groaned inwardly at the thought of telling those two love obsessed idiots. Kyoko giggled as Ren did a poor job of hiding his thoughts.

 _BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTT_

Ren glanced at his phone and sighed.

"Speak of the devil." Kyoko looked at him curiously as he answered the phone. "Hey Yashiro. What's up?"

"What's up? You really are going to ask me that? What exactly have you been doing?!" Yashiro said loudly and dramatically over the phone. Ren winced at the volume and held the phone slightly away from his ear.

"What are you talking about?"

"Turn on channel 4 and you'll see exactly what I am talking about!" Yashiro huffed in annoyance.

Ren nodded at Kyoko to hand him the remote. Their jaws dropped when they saw the caption for the entertainment news:

 **JAPAN'S HOTTEST STUDS BATTLE IT OUT OVER KYOKO! IS TSURUGA REN OFF THE MARKET?**

 _ **Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't comment on the last chapter, but I didn't have time and I wanted to get it out to guys as soon as I finished! First off, I'm sorry! I know I have been rather absent over the past few months, but it has been crazy on my side. Between work, kids, holidays, and general life, I haven't had time to write in months! But I can guarantee you that Ch. 8 will be up within the next few days. It is already halfway done!**_

 _ **Second, what do you think? I told you I'd throw in some monkey wrenches, so here they are! Bwhahaha! *Cough, cough* Anyway, I am looking forward to all your reviews! I have missed you all so much! Review, message, anything! I love hearing from everyone, so please write!**_


	8. Chapter 8

" _Turn on channel 4 and you'll see exactly what I am talking about!" Yashiro huffed in annoyance._

 _Ren nodded at Kyoko to hand him the remote. Their jaws dropped when they saw the caption for the entertainment news:_

 _ **JAPAN'S HOTTEST STUDS BATTLE IT OUT OVER KYOKO! IS TSURUGA REN OFF THE MARKET?**_

On the screen was a phone shot of the encounter they'd had with Sho earlier. Kyoko was behind Ren with a concerned look on her face, while Ren and Sho were staring daggers at each other, Ren firmly grasping Sho's wrist.

Ren and Kyoko glanced at each other briefly before turning their attention back to the news report.

"Witnesses claim that Fuwa Sho seemed very adamant about getting Kyoko-san away from Tsuruga Ren. Immediately after this photo was taken, it is reported that Tsuruga-san warned Fuwa-san to 'stay away from his girlfriend.' We have not been able to reach Tsuruga-san or Kyoko-san for further comment, but Fuwa Sho was happy to provide us with some insight."

The screen switched to a phone icon as Sho's voice began to play over the speakers.

"Tsuruga Ren has anger issues. When I stood up, Kyoko bumped into me, throwing ice cream all over my clothes. She laughed and started to walk away. When I turned to ask for an apology, Tsuruga threatened me and grabbed me as though he was going to attack me. I never knew he was so violent. He always puts on a face of innocence, but I guess it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for."

Kyoko and Ren sat shocked. It took a minute before Ren realized that Yashiro was still on the phone. He picked up the phone and was about to speak when a string of loud curses came flooding out of Kyoko's mouth! Yashiro immediately stopped harping in shock and Ren stared at a red-faced Kyoko. Unable to control it, Ren burst out in a fit of laughter.

"Ren?" Yashiro timidly asked. "Was that Kyoko?"

"Yep!" Ren laughed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Kyoko started, remembering that she wasn't alone, and blushed as Ren grinned at her.

"So you two were together today?" Yashiro asked slowly. Ren sobered up a bit.

"Yes, we were together, and we did meet Fuwa, but, obviously, I did not try to beat him up." Ren said scathingly. Yashiro sighed.

"So what actually happened?" Yashiro asked, now intrigued by the two spending time together, more so than he was worried about the news report.

Ren gave him the quick rundown as he watched Kyoko pace vigorously over a section of his carpet. He stood up, cradled the phone to his shoulder, and then wrapped his arms about her waist, pulling her to him comfortingly. Kyoko buried her face in his chest and sighed.

Ren was frustrated with Yashiro's line of questioning, when suddenly a little bit of Kuon peeked through and had a brilliant idea. Ren grinned, leaned down to Kyoko's ear and blew on her neck, Kyoko squeaked audibly, shutting Yashiro up instantly.

"Ren!" Kyoko whined. "Stop that!"

"But I want to make you feel better." Ren whispered in her ear. Yashiro listened, horrified, on the other end.

"Really, and how exactly are you planning on doing that?" Kyoko asked naively, unaware of Ren's intentions.

"Oh, I have many ideas." Ren said huskily, as he brushed his fingers along the side of her stomach, making her squeal in surprise. Seconds later, Ren heard nothing from his phone but a dial tone. Grinning, he put the phone down and tilted Kyoko's head up to look at him.

"Sorry, I was screwing with Yashiro. He was irritating me, so I thought I'd teach him a lesson." Kyoko's eyes widened and she blushed brightly.

"He was still on the phone when you did all that?" Kyoko asked, shocked.

Ren just grinned wolfishly in answer. Kyoko groaned and dropped her head on his chest. Ren felt her put her fingers on his stomach. Next thing Ren knew, he was being tickled without mercy.

Minutes later, both of them huffing and puffing, they plopped back onto the couch, eyes and cheeks bright with laughter. Kyoko smiled at Ren, her heart full to the brim with love for him. Real Kyoko still had trouble coming to terms with Ren's feelings for her, but "Kyoko" was just happy they had figured it out.

Suddenly, as though struck by a lightning bolt, Kyoko sat up and stiffened, she glanced around towards the clock and screeched in horror. It was already seven at night and they hadn't eaten dinner yet! Ren laughed as she started searching through his fridge, complaining loudly about his lack of nutrition. She began pulling out some ingredients they had bought the day before, but was thwarted as Ren began putting them back.

"Not tonight." He said. "Tonight we order out."

Kyoko began to protest, but couldn't get much out before he placed a hand on her mouth and kept it there while he called and placed an order. Kyoko continued to protest from behind his hand, but all that could be heard where muffled mumbles. Ren grinned as her eyes shot daggers at him.

"You're not going to make me waste money by not eating all the food I just ordered, are you?" Ren teased, knowing her weaknesses. Kyoko glared at him and then huffed.

After the food was delivered, they sat down at the table to eat in comfortable silence for a little while. After a few minutes, Kyoko paused in between bites.

"So what are we going to do about the news report?" Kyoko asked. Ren looked at her thoughtfully. He, personally, had no qualms with the whole world knowing that they were together. But there was some concern for their careers. Both of them were emotionally invested in what they did, and if their relationship compromised that, it could cause some resentment between them.

"I'm sure Lory has seen this by now. Our best bet is to talk to him first, before we do anything else." Ren sighed. He glanced at the TV and then groaned. Kyoko looked startled and turned to see what caused him to react like that. Kyoko's eyes widened as she saw Okami-san and Taisho on the TV screen, Taisho standing in front of his business door with a cleaver in one hand and a stern look on his face, and Okami nervously standing behind him, peering out at the camera crew who was capturing every moment. The caption read, "The wait has begun at Kyoko's home! Will we get answers?"

"I guess I can't go home now." Kyoko sighed. "I'll call Moko-san and see if it's safe to stay there."

Kyoko picked up her phone and opened it to call her very best friend, just to have her phone plucked right out of her fingers by Ren. He closed her phone and then looked at her cautiously.

"You could stay here."

Kyoko's heart stop for a moment, as she looked into Ren's eyes. She reasoned that she had already spent the night, even though it was unintentional, so this shouldn't be a big deal. But it was. She blushed and glanced away briefly, before looking at Ren and nodding with a soft smile on her face. Ren's face broke out into the biggest grin.

"You can stay in the guest room. And you can borrow one of my shirts to sleep in. It should be big enough." He laughed as they both compared their size difference. Kyoko smiled cheekily.

"Are you sure I can trust you?" Kyoko teased. Ren pretended to be wounded.

"You don't trust me, Kyoko-chan?" Ren hit her with the full force of his pout. Kyoko laughed and rolled her eyes. A grown man should not be able to do that. She got up to wash the dishes and began putting the away.

"By the way," Ren wrapped his arms around her from behind, "which Kyoko am I talking to? Just out of curiosity."

Kyoko thought for a moment as she wrapped her arms around his.

"I think it's both. It's hard to tell. Everything is coming from my real feelings, but the confidence is all 'Kyoko'. If I didn't have her character, I definitely wouldn't be as comfortable with everything as I am right now." Kyoko leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes. It was hard to tell where real Kyoko ended and "Kyoko" began. And that was only after one day. She still had a month left of being "Kyoko". She had a feeling that was Lory's plan all along.

Kyoko turned in Ren's arms to face him and gave him a small kiss.

"It's getting late. I think I'm going to go to bed. We will have plenty to deal with tomorrow. When do you have to be at work?"

Ren let go and walked to his room to retrieve a shirt for her to wear.

"I have to head out for 8. What about you?" Ren handed her the shirt she had been playing with earlier that morning and smirked. Kyoko stuck her tongue out at him and blushed.

"Same here." Kyoko walked over to the guest bedroom door and paused. She looked at Ren with eyes that glowed with a quiet happiness. "Good night, Ren."

"Good night, Kyoko." Ren said softly.

Ren woke in the middle of the night. He looked around, wondering what had caused him to wake, when he heard a small sound coming from Kyoko's room. It sounded like a sob. Ren jumped up and ran to the guest room. He paused as he heard sniffling behind the door and then knocked softly.

"Kyoko, are you alright?" He heard a soft gasp and more quick sniffles, like she was trying to compose herself. He heard a small thump and then a shuffling that was headed towards the door. The door opened slowly and Kyoko peered through.

"I'm ok, Ren. I'm sorry if I woke you." Kyoko moved to close the door, but Ren stopped her. He could see that her eyes were red from crying.

"Please, Kyoko." Ren begged. Kyoko lowered her head and opened the door so he could come in. Ren waited for her to sit down before following her to the bed and sitting next to her. He brushed the hair out of her face and then lifted her chin to make her look at him.

"What's wrong?" Ren's eyes pleaded with her to confide in him. There was pain in his eyes, like her crying physically hurt him.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. A lot has happened in the past 24 hours, and I guess I finally broke character completely." Kyoko looked away, ashamed that she was making him feel bad for her problems. Ren made her look at him again, and this time his eyes were soft and filled with love. Part of her still wanted to run, but she knew now that she had created enough strength in "Kyoko" that she would never run away from love again.

"Actually, I'm surprised this didn't hit you earlier. I thought for sure you were going to lose it when they played that phone interview." Ren chuckled as he thought about her pacing from earlier.

"It's ok to feel overwhelmed. I don't think I've even processed it all yet either." He reached over and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Ren stroked her hair soothingly as she cried a little more, letting her get it out of her system. After she was through, he pulled back and kissed her softly on the forehead.

He hesitated, because he really wanted to sleep next to her. But he didn't want to push her. She had taken amazing strides in just one day. He didn't want to end up pushing her back to where she had been all because he couldn't control himself.

He stood up to head back to his room, but felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked back at Kyoko who was blushing furiously and stammering. He watched her as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"C-can I stay with you tonight?" Kyoko asked shyly. Ren's heart swelled at the beautiful woman before him. He turned back to her and held out his hand. She took it softly and he drew her to him, off the bed.

"Of course. Whenever you want." Ren smiled softly.

A few minutes later, as they curled under the covers of Ren's bed, Ren felt like the happiest man alive. Kyoko snuggled up to his chest and he put his hand around her waist. He watched as a faint smile curled around the edges of her mouth. He knew in that moment, that, no matter what, he would never let her go again. They both fell asleep quickly, sleeping better than they had in a long time.

 ** _Ok, so I figured that Kyoko, despite how amazing she is, would struggle a bit with how quickly and drastically things have changed. It has only been one day, after all._**

 ** _For those of you who have commented on the length of the story, don't worry! I plan on writing about the full month she is suppose to be "Kyoko", so I have a ton more coming!_**

 ** _As far as reviews go, I loved you all! I literally get giddy when I receive an email about reviews! Comment, critique, say hi! I want to hear it all!_**

 ** _So how do you think this problem will be handled? What other complications will arise? How will Kyoko handle the different way people treat her now? Can't wait!_**


	9. Chapter 9

" _C-can I stay with you tonight?" Kyoko asked shyly. Ren's heart swelled at the beautiful woman before him. He turned back to her and held out his hand. She took it softly and he drew her to him, off the bed._

" _Of course. Whenever you want." Ren smiled softly._

 _A few minutes later, as they curled under the covers of Ren's bed, Ren felt like the happiest man alive. Kyoko snuggled up to his chest and he put his hand around her waist. He watched as a faint smile curled around the edges of her mouth. He knew in that moment, that, no matter what, he would never let her go again. They both fell asleep quickly, sleeping better than they had in a long time._

The alarm woke Ren up, bright and early. He swatted at the offending object, before rolling back over and getting comfortable again. He watched Kyoko as she also stirred from her sleep, watching her gold eyes open softly against the bright light of the sun. She truly was beautiful. He smiled as he watched her face work through a brief moment of confusion. She shifted slightly to look up at him and smiled.

"Good morning." Kyoko happily said.

"Good morning." Ren brushed a lock of hair out of her face and leaned in to kiss her. He wanted every morning to start like this, her in his arms, kissing her, watching her golden eyes light up when she saw him.

Kyoko sighed happily and leaned her head against his chest. She couldn't imagine anything better than this moment. Unless… Color flooded her cheeks, and Ren noticed.

"Is something wrong? Do you have a fever?" Ren leaned back to check her head. Kyoko blushed harder, shook her head and reburied her face. Ren stared at her curiously.

"Then what is it?"

"I was just… thinking about something." Kyoko mumbled into his chest. It was then that she realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt, causing the red in her cheeks to deepen. Now Ren was really curious. What could possibly embarrass her that ba… Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"Were you thinking about… um… you know…?" Ren stammered as he began to blush.

"Huh?" Kyoko looked up at him.

"Of course, we would wait until you were ready, I mean, you have certain ideals pertaining to that type of thing before… marriage, right?" Ren stammered on, running his words together incoherently.

Kyoko racked her brain to figure out what he was talking about. Her eyes widened in shock when it dawned on her.

"NO!" Kyoko said loudly. She shook her head vigorously. Ren stop stammering.

"You don't have certain ideals about it?" Ren looked surprised. Kyoko covered her face.

"No, I mean, yes, I do have certain expectations about that. What I meant was, no, that's not what I was thinking about!" Kyoko looked away, embarrassed. Ren's mouth opened in shock.

"Then what were you thinking about?!" Ren asked in exasperation. He felt like a fool and wanted to hide.

"I was thinking about how happy I would be if we ever got married and had kids! I was thinking about what life would be like!" Kyoko exclaimed, frustrated. She moved to wiggle off the bed and run towards the bathroom to hide, but Ren grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She covered her face with her other hand in a poor attempt to hide from him. Ren chuckled.

"Why are you embarrassed? I've dreamed about that since I fell in love with you." He pulled her close and pushed back her hair to get a better view of her face. Kyoko looked at him, surprised.

"Really?"

Ren smiled and nodded. Kyoko smiled at him, feeling better about everything. So, she wasn't alone her thoughts about the future. She glanced at the clock and shot up.

"We have to get ready and I still need to make breakfast!" Kyoko wiggled out of Ren's arms and off the bed. Ren dwelled on the fact that his shirt looked great on her. He watch her run to the guest room and then back into his room, confused. He laughed as she searched for her bag.

"It's over here." Ren reached down next to his side of the bed and lifted her duffel bag onto the bed. He grinned at her mischievously. "I thought it might be easier for you if it was in here."

Kyoko huffed at him as she snatched it up off the bed.

"You know you don't have to cook breakfast." Kyoko froze instantly and turn her glare onto him.

"You already conned your way out of dinner last night, don't think you'll get away from breakfast." Kyoko sternly looked at him until he held up his hands in surrender. She immediately relaxed and began rushing around frantically again.

On their way to the office, Ren called Yashiro. Fortunately, reporters still did not know where he lived, so they did not have to dodge the media at his place. LME, on the other hand, would be an entirely different story. The media circus had been camped out since five o'clock that morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the supposed couple. Ren discussed with Yashiro what they should do and then hung up, looking frustrated. Kyoko looked at him expectantly.

"Apparently, the President wants us to drive right by the reporters and into the normal entrance. Yashiro said to just smile be charming, and wing it. No straight answers. They apparently don't want us to look like we are avoiding the media." Kyoko looked at him, shocked and nervous. He smiled at her and reached over to hold her hand. "We'll be fine. He also said that we can show affection to each other, but not romantic affection. They want it to be obscure, so that it can be interpreted one way or the other."

Kyoko nodded and shifted as though steeling herself for battle. As they approached the front entrance, they could see a massive crowd mulling about, pouncing every time a car drove near. They both took a deep breath, right as their car was noticed. It was like a feeding frenzy. A few saw them and then suddenly, the entire crowd of easily a hundred people surged towards the car. Ren navigated through them slowly, shielding his eyes from the flashes of the cameras.

They made it into the secure parking garage, thinking they were safe for a few minutes, when suddenly, a loud crash occurred behind them. They both ducked, Ren shielding Kyoko, and then looked up after a minute. The reporters had knocked over the gate with all their pushing and shoving and were rapidly heading towards the car.

Kyoko looked at Ren with a glimmer of fear in her eyes. Ren squeezed her hand.

"I think it's time to bring out 'Kyoko'. You are supposed to remain her until your birthday, right?" Ren gave her a small smile as Kyoko nodded and then closed her eyes. Ren was always in awe of how she switched into character. It was barely noticeable, but there was a slight shift somehow when she changed character. When she opened her eyes, Ren could see the confidence brimming out of her. He grinned. This was going to be fun.

"Wait here. I will come open the door for you." Kyoko nodded.

Ren turned and began to open his door, the noise almost deafening. He stepped out and smiled at the reporters, greeting some of them by name. As they shouted questions at him, he made his way over to Kyoko's side. The reporters parted almost instantly, out of a mix of respect and curiosity. Ren opened the door wide enough for Kyoko to get out and then waited. Ren was really happy he'd recommended her particular outfit.

- _Flashback-_

As they were getting ready that morning, a knock rang out on the door. Ren was shocked as Jelly came waltzing through the door.

"Hello dear. Be a doll and grab those bags for me? Their awfully heavy and I need to go start prepping Kyoko-chan." Ren looked back out into the hallway, and sure enough, there were several bags sitting directly in front of his door.

Kyoko peeked her head through and her eyes lit up! She rushed out to hug Jelly.

"So, it seems we've been naughty?" Jelly teased, looking at Ren with a raised eyebrow and a smug grin. Both Kyoko and Ren blushed.

"You know how the media is, Ten-san." Ren tried to shrug off her comments casually as he set the bags down in the living room and then closed the door.

"Oh, so you two are not an item then?" Jelly pouted. Kyoko giggled as Ren blushed deeper at Jelly's teasing.

"We are discussing our feelings at the moment. She hasn't even answered me properly on if she will be my girlfriend or not." Ren shot back, grinning at Kyoko. Kyoko stuck her tongue out.

"You didn't ask me properly, so how can I give you a proper answer?"

"Fine then." Ren walked past Jelly, up to Kyoko, took her hand in one of his, and cupped her face with his other hand. Kyoko seemed startled at first and then began to blush. "Mogami Kyoko, will you be my girlfriend?"

Kyoko smiled beautifully at him.

"Yes." Ren smiled brilliantly and then leaned down to kiss her. The moment was broken, though, by a high pitched squeal. Jelly was looking at them with stars in her eyes, and holding a tiny little video camera. Ren groaned as he realized that she had just recorded all of that, most likely for Lory. And if Yashiro had any say, he would probably get his hands on it as well.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's get to work!" Jelly flitted away to the bags and started unzipping them. The first couple of bags were make-up, followed by a few suitcases of clothing, four for Kyoko and one for Ren.

"Let's get you dolled up!" Jelly turned towards Kyoko and immediately dragged her over to a dining chair, which was sitting on top a plastic liner to protect Ren's floor. "If the media wants a story, let's give them an eyeful!"

Ren chuckled as Kyoko went into her happy place. She did love make-up. He began browsing through the clothes when one outfit caught his eye. He picked it up and knew instantly that it was perfect.

"I'm assuming, since you have so many clothes, you haven't settle on an outfit yet?" Ren asked Jelly.

"Nope. I figured I would just have her do a little show and see which one was the best." Jelly hummed as she continued to work her magic.

"No need." Ren said confidently.

"Oh?" Jelly paused briefly to glance in his direction.

"I've got the perfect one." Jelly nodded in approval when she saw what he had picked out and went back to her masterpiece

 _-Flash forward-_

Reporters waited anxiously for Kyoko to set out. A hush fell over the crowd as a long, perfect leg came out, wearing a 5 inch, black, closed-toe heel. The heel had a black "T" strap that went from the toe of her heel up to her ankle where it wrapped around perfectly. A slim, elegant hand reached out as Ren held out one of his own to help her. As she stepped out, the men surrounding them stopped breathing.

Kyoko was dressed in a black dress that make her eyes glow. The front of the dress was almost to her knees while the back dipped down to her ankles. The silk skirt was draped in a layer of translucent black chiffon. The torso of the dress followed her tiny waist perfectly, coming up to a dramatic sleeveless sweetheart neckline. What was the most eye catching was the lace that went from the neckline to her neck, covering her in an air of sexy elegance.

Jelly had truly worked her magic. Kyoko's eyes were delicately lined with a discreet cat eye and highlighted with a smoky eye shadow look. Her skin looked like porcelain and her lips were softly painted with a soft pink that was a shade or two darker than her natural lip color. Her hair had been expertly curled and pinned so that it was like a soft wave, with a few wisps loosely curling around the shape of her face.

After stepping out she softly smiled at Ren, thanked him, and then turned to the media. She flashed a beautiful smile.

"Good morning." She said gracefully. Ren closed the door and before the crowd could process everything, he began escorting her towards the building. The crowd finally woke up and immediately began following the couple, shouting questions as they went.

"Is it true that you threatened Fuwa Sho?" One reporter asked while shoving a microphone into Ren's face.

"What reason would I have to threaten a fellow entertainer? It saddens me that this is the impression my fans have of me. I work only to make them happy with what I do." Ren had a slightly melancholy look on his face.

"Kyoko! Did you want to date Fuwa Sho and get mad when he rejected you?" A snide female reporter smirk at her. Kyoko smiled softly.

"I'm sorry to burst Fuwa-san's impression of my feelings, but I did not and do not have feelings for him that are more than the occasional coworkers. I hope I don't hurt his feelings. That was never my intention." The reporter's eyes narrowed.

"So you're saying you don't find him attractive at all? I find that hard to believe." Kyoko shook her head.

"I've never given it any thought. I guess I don't really gravitate towards a man who wears more makeup than me." Kyoko giggled. The reporter huffed.

"What about Tsuruga-san? Are you saying you wouldn't want to be in a relationship with him either?"

"I don't know if I can take that as a serious question. After all, every woman in Japan wants to date Tsuruga Ren." The reporter turned red, but before she could say anything else, Ren put his hand on Kyoko's waist and indicated that they were at the door. A few security guards tried to break up the crowd so that they could come in. Kyoko and Ren finally slipped through and breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed.

"Well, I think that went well." Kyoko said. They looked at each other and grinned. Ren took her hand and pulled her towards him. She closed her eyes as he softly kissed her.

"KYOKO!" The two broke apart, startled. Kyoko looked to find a very intense Kanae heading straight for them. And from the look on her face, she wasn't happy.

 **Ah, the evil media! We're not done with them yet, but I think that's a pretty good first encounter! I liked having Kyoko take invisible jabs at Sho. I was dying as I wrote their morning confusion. hehe! And Kanae! :D This is going to be fun! Especially since Kyoko can't tell her about the character role.**

 **Love you guys! You're all awesome! Can't wait to read your reviews! Post a lot and tell me what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

" _Well, I think that went well." Kyoko said. They looked at each other and grinned. Ren took her hand and pulled her towards him. She closed her eyes as he softly kissed her._

" _KYOKO!" The two broke apart, startled. Kyoko looked to find a very intense Kanae heading straight for them. And from the look on her face, she wasn't happy._

A dark aura surrounded Kanae as she marched towards them. Kyoko sensed the danger, but her "Moko-san" instincts were too strong.

"Moko-san!" Kyoko leapt for Kanae, who easily evaded her grasp. Kyoko pouted as Kanae stared at her in frustration.

"MO! What the hell do you think you've been doing?! NO CALL! NO TEXT! AND A WHOLE LOT OF MESS!" Kanae stormed at Kyoko who cringed and then attempted to plead with her best friend.

"Gomen, Moko-san! It just all happened so fast! Please forgive me!" Kyoko turned on the puppy eyes as she silently begged Kanae to forgive her. Kanae stared her down, not wanting to give in to "the face", but finally throwing up her hands in surrender.

"Fine, but this doesn't mean we are done talking about this!" Kanae wagged her finger sternly in Kyoko's face. Kyoko instantly brightened up and, before Kanae could react, grabbed her friend in a bone breaking hug.

Ren grinned as he watched Kanae struggle against Kyoko's grasp in protest to the over-dramatic display of affection. His grin faded, though, as she broke free and turned her calculating glare onto him. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him.

"Finally decided to step up and be a man? Hmph. I still haven't approved of this yet." She got really close and poked him hard in the chest to drive her point home. "If you ever hurt her, you will become Japan's Number One Eunuch, understood?"

Ren winced at the descriptive threat and nodded, swallowing hard. Some people might have said she was being overly dramatic, but, deep down, Ren knew she truly meant her threat. Kanae backed off and turned towards Kyoko, only to blanch at the look Kyoko was shooting her way.

"Finally? What do you mean finally?" Kyoko's eyes held a distinct Mio-like glare in them as they hardened towards her best friend. Her voice got dangerously low. Ren shivered as her appearance both terrified and excited him. He made a mental note to never, ever, EVER piss her off and keep something from her. "Are you telling me you knew how he felt about me? For how long?"

Kanae stood in shock at the transformation. Something was different. Kyoko never would have reacted like this towards her. She didn't know whether she was worried or proud that her friend was standing up for herself. She swallowed hard and steeled herself to push back.

"Are you seriously that dense Kyoko? EVERYONE KNOWS HOW THIS IDIOT FEELS!" Kanae huffed. "It's plain as day, written all over his face every time he looks at you, thinks about you, or notices something that reminders him of you! They only person who didn't notice was you! It's a miracle he kept it from the media as long as he did!"

Kanae rolled her eyes in exasperation and watched smugly as her friend's face softened into shock. Kyoko looked at Ren with a soft blush on her face.

"Was I really that oblivious?"

Ren chuckled and grinned. He nodded and then laughed as she covered her face in embarrassment. He reached over and pulled her into a hug.

"It doesn't matter anymore. You know now." Ren grinned cheekily at her as she stuck her tongue out at him in frustration. Kanae watched the exchange suspiciously and then rolled her eyes at their exchange. She was secretly ecstatic for her best friend, but she would never show it.

Kyoko glanced past Ren and noticed the time on a clock behind him. They were really late.

"Ren, Kaichou is going to be mad at us if we don't get to his office soon. And you know what he's like when he gets irritated. He'll have us perform some ridiculous apology ritual to satisfy his love obsessed whims." Ren laughed at her blunt assessment and nodded, briefly kissing her on the lips before leading her to the office, one arm still around her waist. Kyoko turned towards Kanae and waved happily as they headed off.

"See you later Moko-san. Let's make plans for lunch soon so we can talk about everything. Message me when you are free this week." Kanae stared at them leaving in bewilderment. Something was definitely different about Kyoko. It worried Kanae, but whatever it was seemed to has a positive effect on her, so she wouldn't complain… yet. She turned and made her way o the LoveMe locker room, where she prepared to take care of some tasks before it was time to get to the rest of her work.

Lory drummed his fingers on the table in irritation. They were late! The nerve of them. Yashiro sat on one of the couches across from him, glancing nervously at the President's peeved expression. The look on his face was only enhanced by the outfit Lory was wearing. He was currently dressed as a Russian czar, most likely imitating Nicholas, the father from Anastasia. The outfit fit his personality perfectly. It helped that Sebastian was off to the side, dressed as a Russian soldier.

They both jumped when they heard a knock on the door. Kyoko and Ren walked in, with his arm around her waist and her glowing happily. Lory instantly forgave them, but kept his gruff expression as he decided this was too good not to play with.

Kyoko inclined her head towards Lory. "Gomen Kaichou, for being late. I'm afraid Kanae was rather peeved at me for not having told her anything about the things happening." She grinned at Ren, who smiled back and tightened his arm around her waist. As they sat on the small couch in front of Lory, Ren noticed Yashiro's face and internally groaned at what was coming.

Before Yashiro could do anything, Lory cut him off, thinking it would be fun to add fuel to the fire in terms of Yashiro's reaction.

"Well, I'm glad you apologized, but I'm going to need a little more than that for you wasting my time." Lory huffed. He reached down and pulled out a camcorder, turning it on and pointing it at them. "I'm going to need proof of this supposed relationship you two have now."

Kyoko rolled her eyes and glanced at Ren.

"I told you this was going to happen." Ren smirked at her and Kyoko's heart skipped as his eyes turned distinctly Emperor. She shivered slightly as he looked at her so intensely and leaned forward, his eyes never leaving hers. Kyoko held her breath as his lips stopped just before her mouth. He whispered so that only she could hear his _I love you_ before he kissed her passionately. Kyoko forgot all else around them as she melted into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Seconds felt like years as they were totally absorbed in each other. They broke apart slowly. Ren pulled back as he looked at her dazed face, Kuon roaring with pride on the inside at their ability to make her look like that. She closed her eyes and leaned up against his chest in contentment. Ren looked up triumphantly at Lory and Yashiro and was shocked at what he saw.

First was Lory, Mr. Love himself, with his mouth hanging open, and his face a satisfying shade of ruby red. He was frozen in shock at the scene he'd just witnessed, not evenly twitching in response to Ren's smug look.

Next was Yashiro, whom, due to lack of oxygen, had apparently passed out in excitement. Ren worried sometimes about his manager's obsession with his and Kyoko's love life, but he supposed this was better than the fan girl shrieking. Though, he was positive there would be some of that later.

Ren happily sat back with Kyoko, waiting for the shock to wear off of the two men in front of them. As they both came to a few minutes later, they both fidgeted, unsure of how to proceed in their flustered state. Ren savored the moment and stored it away for future gloating.

When Lory finally got a grip on himself, he cleared his throat, turned off the camcorder and put it away. He fiddled with some papers briefly before shifting in his chair and getting down to business.

"So it seems as though you two have made quite the mess. Fuwa Sho is calling for a public apology and the media is having a field day with your public confession."

Ren growled in response to the comment about Sho. The prick had nerve if he thought they would apologize to him. Ren cared less about the relationship fodder the media was posting and more about the damage Sho was potentially causing to their careers. Ren felt a small hand on his arm and looked down to see Kyoko with a soft smile on her face. Ren smiled back, calming down immediately. Kyoko turned toward Lory.

"As far as our relationship goes, you will have to tell us how you think it is best to handle and we will weigh our options. But with Sho, would you mind letting me handle that? All I need from you is for you to set up a press conference. We can address both issues there if you'd like, but I know how to handle Sho so that he comes out looking like the fool that he is." The three men in the room shivered as they felt Natsu and Mio's personalities intertwining into something new and terrifying.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Lory asked, peering at her as though trying to find something specific. Kyoko nodded firmly.

"It's time I officially severed that part of my life and it's only something I can do." Lory nodded as he leaned back and appraised the situation. Ultimately, he came to the decision that she was right and he trusted her instincts. His mind whirled as he quickly decided how they were going to handle the relationship aspect of the problem.

"Alright then." Lory said firmly, smiling at the couple. "It's decided."

 _ **I'm back! So sorry for the break but I had serious writer's block and then stuff happened! Anyway, I am back and block free. I have missed all of you and so desperately want to hear from everyone! Tell me what you think. I will have another post up soon, I promise!**_


	11. Chapter 11

" _It's time I officially severed that part of my life and it's only something I can do." Lory nodded as he leaned back and appraised the situation. Ultimately, he came to the decision that she was right and he trusted her instincts. His mind whirled as he quickly decided how they were going to handle the relationship aspect of the problem._

" _Alright then." Lory said firmly, smiling at the couple. "It's decided."_

The media chatted excitedly as they waited for the press conference to start. This would be a major scoop, as LME had invited Fuwa Sho to sit on the panel as well. The female reporters in the group had a particularly nasty look in their eyes as they waited in anticipation for the humiliation they expected for Kyoko.

At the stroke of 10, Yashiro walked out to the microphone, the picture of professionalism. He settled some documents down onto the podium and adjusted the microphone. He cleared his throat and then stared down the media until they were silent.

"Thank you all for coming. We have called for this press conference to address the issues that have been at the forefront of the entertainment news for the last week. Before we begin, allow me to introduce the members who will be answering your questions today." Yashiro paused for a second, a flash of disdain moving briefly across his face. "First we have Fuwa Sho, along with his manager."

Sho came about cockily, smirking and waving lazily to the media as he took his seat. He was in his usual attire, not even the slightest bit professional. The media responded, yet with less enthusiasm than Sho was expecting. He frowned and whispered to his manager. Yashiro rolled his eyes.

"Next we have Tsuruga Ren."

The light bulbs flashed crazily as Ren walked out gracefully on the opposite side of the room from Sho. His demeanor was one of humble professionalism, the exact opposite of Sho. Sho openly glared at Ren, while Ren ignored Sho completely (as per Kyoko's instructions) and took his seat.

"And finally we have Kyoko."

Kyoko then followed Ren out onto the stage. She was a perfect mix of sexy and professional in her black pencil skirt with a small slit on the side, burgundy 3 inch heels, and a white v-neck, button-down blouse with a small ruffle lining the collar. She proceeded to take her seat next to Ren and the podium, completely ignoring Sho as well. Sho was beginning to look visibly irritated at their lack of acknowledgment.

"Now that everyone is here and introduced, I invite Kyoko to come up and speak with you all." Yashiro nodded at Kyoko, and seated himself on the other side of Ren. Kyoko gracefully walked to the podium, adjusting the microphone to her height. She softly smiled to the crowd as she began.

"Thank you all for being here. This week has been one of speculation for the media, and we all wish to put that speculation to rest. Many rumors have been flying around, particularly in regards to my relationships with the two men seated at this table. And whilst I do enjoy privacy in such matters, the interference it has caused in my work compels me to share openly the current status of my love life."

Kyoko paused and breathed for a second. She glanced at Ren who gave her an encouraging smile and stood up to stand next to her, pulling a little box out of his pocket.

"I am happy to announce that Tsuruga Ren and I are engaged."

Ren opened the little box and, in front of everyone, slipped a beautiful diamond ring onto her finger. The room, previously in stunned silence, erupted into loud and excited chatter. But none was louder than Sho.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Sho jumped from his seat, his face nearly purple from rage. His manager tried to pull him back, but Sho wasn't having it. The room became deathly quiet at his outburst as everyone stared at and recorded his reaction. Sho, oblivious to those around him, stomped towards a calm Kyoko and irritated looking Ren. He shoved his finger in Kyoko's face.

"Who the hell do you think you are fooling?! Why the hell would anyone want to marry a ugly, talentless little nobody like you? Beside, we both know you're in love with me! I forbid you from marrying this no good, heel wearing pretty boy! DO YOU HEAR ME KYOKO?! YOU BELONG TO ME!"

Ren angrily began to step forward, but Kyoko put a hand on his chest. She gave him a soft smile a shook her head. As she turned, the smile left her face, replaced with a look of anger and pity.

"No Sho. I am not yours. You led me to believe that I could be yours a long time ago when we were just children. I followed you here to support you in your career because you asked me to. I worked four jobs just to afford the kind of apartment you wanted while you began your career. And you used me as a maid and then threw me away when you had even a little fame. So don't call me yours. I never was and I never will be. And as far me being in love with you, I never was. I thought I loved you, but that was nothing more than a child's crush. I know that now that I've experienced real love. I don't wish you ill, but if you keep making up rumors about Ren and myself, you are only going to end up harming your own career. You were in the wrong at the ice cream shop. Please don't try to bring us into your messes."

Sho's face turned from purple to dark red at her words. Ren stepped in front of Kyoko, moving her behind him in case Sho tried to get violent.

"YOU BITCH! HOW DARE YOU TELL EVERYONE ABOUT ALL OF THAT! YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I LET A NOBODY LIKE YOU TAKE CARE OF MY STUFF! AND SO WHAT IF I WAS IN THE WRONG AT THE ICE CREAM SHOP? YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TOLD ME NO! AND YOU, YOU FREAKISHLY TALL BASTARD! YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE HER FROM ME? SHE IS MY PROPERTY SO MOVE OUT OF MY WAY ASSHOLE!"

Sho made to shove Ren out of the way. Before Ren could react, a small hand shot out from behind him, gripping Sho's wrist with surprising force. A very angry Kyoko shoved Sho's hand away from Ren.

"DON'T. EVEN. THINK. ABOUT. IT." She glared at him dangerously. "If you are going to foolishly throw your career away, do it without touching us.

Her statement shocked Sho briefly, causing him to remember where he was. He turned slowly to look at 50+ cameras pointed straight at him, recording everything. He blanched as he realized what he had just done and ran off stage, his manager running after him. Yashiro walked up to the podium.

"In light of what has happened, we will take a few questions and then will end this press conference quickly." Yashiro picked a reporter with a raised hand for the first question.

"This question is for Kyoko-san. You mentioned knowing Fuwa-san as a child and coming to Tokyo with him to support his career. Can you elaborate more on that?" Kyoko stepped up to the microphone.

" I do not wish to speak anymore ill into this press conference, so I will keep this answer as concise as possible. I was raised by Fuwa's parents from a very young age after my father died and my mother left. We grew up together and when Fuwa wanted to head here to start his career, he did ask me to come with him. Being young, I wanted to help him. After we arrived, his career began to take off. To maintain the kind of apartment he wanted, I worked as many as four jobs at a time. After finding out more about the person he was becoming and his opinions of me, I left. As you all can see, I eventually made my way into acting, where I have found not only my true passion, but the love of my life as well."

As she finished, Yashiro indicated another reporter.

"Ren-san, what exactly happened at the ice cream shop?" Ren stepped up.

"Kyoko and I were out for a bit and happened to encounter Fuwa-san. Fuwa decided to try and grab Kyoko after she ended an unwanted conversation with him, and a simply did what any normal boyfriend would do, which was to stop him from touching my girlfriend. I told him to leave her alone, unintentionally announcing our relationship publically, and then we left. It is unfortunate that Fuwa decided to take this route to stain our reputations, but we have confidence in our fans that they will know our true characters and trust who we are. Especially after such an unprofessional display as we were all subjected to earlier." Yashiro grinned as he picked another reporter.

"To Ren-san, what is it about Kyoko-san that has led you to your current relationship with an actress so far below your level of talent?" Ren chuckled inwardly as the female reporter stared daggers at his fiancé.

"While I am grateful for your support in my abilities, I would appreciate less disparaging assumptions about my fiancé. No one has ever worked harder than she has, nor have I ever seen anyone with such amazing natural talent. But outside of her acting abilities, she cares about her friends and family and is willing to go above and beyond to make sure they are happy and healthy. She has dealt with a lot of pain in her life, yet she continues to smile and put forth her best effort. She is an incredible cook, and quick to learn things she has yet to learn or experience. And she is more understanding of people than I ever thought possible. She is truly beautiful, inside and out." Ren looked at Kyoko the entire time, watching her blush and tear up at his description of her. He walked away from the mic and bent down to kiss her softly. Squeals from all the women and Yashiro cascaded through the room as the cameras went wild. Ren grinned cheekily at her as Kyoko laughed at Yashiro. Yashiro glided over to the mic.

"One last question" Yashiro stated, thinking before he picked one more reporter.

"So… When's the wedding? And what are your plans for children? Will we see some mini Ren's and Kyoko's running around Tokyo's most famous sets soon?" Kyoko and Ren laughed.

"The wedding date has not been set yet." Kyoko said. Ren bent down to the mic. "And if Kyoko has anything to say about it, any kids of ours will be too properly raised to run around a set."

Ren laughed as Kyoko blushed and swatted at his arm. The room chuckled at the couple's antics. Yashiro grabbed the mic one last time.

"That will be all for today. Thank you for your time and support. We all look forward to the next time we meet with everyone." The three on stage bowed to the media and headed out.

Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes as soon as they were out of sight. She hadn't really known what to expect from Sho, but she's glad it didn't escalate anymore than it had. He had essentially signed the death warrant on his career when he blew up like that. She was grateful that she had her "Kyoko" persona and Ren with her up there. Suddenly, a cold wind blew on her neck, causing her to shriek in surprise.

She turned around in frustration, coming face-to-face with a red-faced Ren who was laughing hysterically at her expressions. She put on a mock angry face and punched him in the arm.

"Why did you do that?! You nearly scared me half to death!" Kyoko scolded Ren who rubbed his arm. He still looked mildly amused, but was thoroughly chastised.

"You were off in space and not listening to me!" Ren whined, pulling his puppy pout.

"You sound like a child." Kyoko put her hands on her hips and looked at him sternly. It was everything she could do to not to burst out laughing at him. Ren came up, putting his hands on her waist and pulled her close. Kyoko's mind went blank.

"I'm sorry for startling you, Princess." Kyoko blushed at his words as he kissed her.

"Baka." She turned around and started to saunter off, but was cut short by Ren wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her against him. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Yashiro staring up at the ceiling, his face a bright neon pink. Ren leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Are you ok?" Kyoko heard the concern in his voice and knew what he was talking about. She sighed and settled back against his chest.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I'm just glad it's done. I really feel like I've reached a point where he doesn't matter anymore and all I feel is pity when I see him." Kyoko turned in his arms.

"This, right here, is all I need. This and acting." Kyoko leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Ren smiled his brilliant smile.

"I agree."

Yashiro cleared his throat, still staring at the ceiling in embarrassment. Kyoko giggled and Ren grinned at his manager.

"You both have other things to do today and if we don't leave soon, you'll be late."

"Alright, we're coming." Ren draped an arm around Kyoko's waist as they headed to the door.

Sho's manager ducked as another item went flying across the room. The room looked like a war zone. Furniture was broken, glass everywhere, even a few holes in the walls. The tv was barely still mounted on the wall as it hung precariously. Fortunately, there weren't many things left to break.

"HOW DARE SHE?! HOW DARE THAT BITCH DO THIS TO ME?! I WILL DESTROY HER AND THAT ARROGANT BASTARD! I SWEAR I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO DESTROY THEM!"

Sho's manager crouched behind the couch, terrified of her soon to be former charge. It was clear that everything Sho ahd just said needed to be told to the President at LME immediately.

 _ **Hey everyone! It has been a while! I'm sorry! Unfortunately, we have gone through some pretty serious struggles. My dad was hospitalized after a heart attack and had open heart surgery. Then my great uncle died under… suspicious circumstances. On top of that, my husband was laid off when his company shut down. But we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and we are persevering. In the mean time…**_

 _ **Did I shock you all? :D I wanted to come back with something big. And don't worry, there will be recap of the week before. But I just had to humiliate Sho completely. ;)**_


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